Rose
Gardening Tools

Sometimes when I visit other gardeners or neighbors, I am amazed to findrusty and dull rose
pruners or other tools left disregarded somewhere in a corner. Sometimes when
needed they come into operation and, of course, will not work properly.

Rose care means to have proper rose gardening tools and to care for them.
It does not make sense to buy expensive tools and leave them weeks or month outside somewhere in the garden exposed to
rain and nature.

However, to have proper tools at hand is essential for the health of your
flowers.

Must
Have Rose Gardening Tools

Here is my list of
essential tools for Rosarians and why and what for you need them.

Needless to
say that this list is not complete, because being a rose gardener means
primarily to be a gardener and you will certainly have normal garden tools too.

Starting with a very basic “tool” and what you always should wear when working in your garden are gloves.

Rose Gardening Gloves

Whenever you have tried to care for your roses and did not wear gloves, I
know that you got hurt by thorns or other spiky items. Sometimes it just hurts a little bit, but more often an
inflammation will occur, and apart from pain, we do not want that.

Abrasions or even bare skin come into contact with manure, spray chemicals
or even garden dirt will cause infection which we easily can avoid by wearing
gardening gloves.

Many rose gardeners consider leather gloves a most have, but you can choose
among several types of gloves depending on the task.

Combined gloves: For
easy tasks, I prefer gloves with stretch cotton fabric on the backside and
rubberized palms and fingers. They are cheap, easy to use, flexible and
thorn-resistant

Leather gloves: with pigskin (tough and
washable), cowhide (stiffen when wet but durable) and goatskin, deerskin
(supple but not as strong as cowhide or pigskin)

Nitrile gloves: If you
spray with chemicals, these kind of gloves are a must. They are chemically
resistant, and gauntlet length gloves are for sure the best you can use for
rose gardening

Rose Secateurs

Hand shears are a must-have for pruning roses. There are three different types of shears
such as bypass shears, anvil shears, and the ratchet type.

Most frequent hand pruners are the bypass one. They have a curved blade that slides by a second blade and
makes a clean cut.

The anvil pruners are better for thicker canes with two
sharp blades, and they cut like a knife but tend to crush the stems.

The ratchet pruner is a kind of anvil pruner but gives a
cleaner cut and can be used with less exertion.

Find one that fits in
your hand and is made from high quality. Good pruners may be taken apart and
can be cleaned easily.

Felco, a Swiss made one, is well known in the
rose gardening community and certainly one of the best, although not the
cheapest brand.

Loppers

Loppers are used to cut larger stems
on well-established rose gardens.

They are shears with long handles for a
better leverage and it is easier to reach into thorny bushes without getting
hurt.

Cutting thick stems with loppers
have the advantage that you do not damage the plants.

They come with the same three types
as hand pruning rose gardening tools and I prefer the ratchet type for easier
pruning.

Pruning Saw

A small hand pruning saw is always good
to have at hand for thick stems or for stubs, which cannot be cut by loppers.

Spraying Equipment

Spraying tools for roses could fill an own chapter, nevertheless some tools are essential for rosarians.

For organic gardeners, a long hose with an adjustable nozzle to get rid of garden
pests like aphids is a must have.

For gardeners who use insecticides and fungicides, wearing protective
clothing including goggles, a hat, boots and nitrile gloves is a must.

Those with small gardens may get along with spray bottles provided by most
suppliers for insecticides and fungicides, but organic gardeners and those with larger gardens should
use hand-pumped or battery-powered sprayers with a minimum of two gallons.

Of course, other small tools such as a measuring cup can be useful for
spraying, but always keep in mind: when dealing with chemical sprays the most
important task is caution.

Other Tools for Rose
Gardening

Of course we need other tools like shovels, a wheelbarrow or rakes. You can
read about it in the chapter essential garden tools.